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www.rotarydownunder.org 55
In the middle of that distant wall, where swirling black
aprons veer sharply left and disappear into who-knows-
what, is a magnificent stained-glass partition in a carved
wooden frame. This wine bar-type, doorless entry leads
to Tortoni’s museum, where history and memorabilia
are lovingly displayed in heavy wooden cabinets lining
the walls. In between, guests enjoy a game of billiards
or dominoes in a club atmosphere, seemingly untouched
for centuries. The basement is an institution within an
institution. It has a small stage with regular exhibitions of
tango dancing for the packaged tourist. For the regulars
there are late-night tango shows, jazz and poetry.
Tortoni was founded in 1858 by Frenchman Jean Touan,
whose intention was to bring the panache of Parisian café
society to Buenos Aires – he even pinched the name from
a leading establishment in Paris. In 1880 it moved to the
former Scottish Temple on Av. de Mayo and was an instant
hit; the right place, the right time, for the right customers.
Tortoni is not only jaw-dropping for its scale and grand
historic fittings, but is also the place for name-dropping.
The crème de la crème of Buenos Aires artistic society
have made the café its home away from home. Names like
Jose Ortega y Gasset, Molina Campos and Alfonsina Storni
abound as well as author Jorge Luis Borge and tango
singer Carlos Gardel. Next to the museum entrance is the
spotlighted bust of Gardel in a wall niche, an icon of the
revered secular saint of tango. In the corner is a life-size
model of Borge and friends, at table, deep in discussion.
I order my usual café con leche y medialunas. The waiter
arrives with a little silver tray with my coffee, milk, a glass
of water, small biscuits and three half-moon shaped sweet
pastries. I could have ordered cafecito (small espresso),
a café cortado (espresso “cut” with milk), a churros y
chocolate (thick hot chocolate with stick pastries) or, like
the elderly matrons two tables away, English-style tea and
cake. The coffee is pricey, but I put it down to a one-off
ticket to the theatre.
I ask my young waiter his opinion of the tourists rushing
about with flashing cameras. He shrugs and replies in
excellent American English: “They bring in the money that
pays our wages and keeps this place going.”
He’s right. What I see as gauche behaviour is studiously
ignored by determined habitués of Café Tortoni. A little
further away I spot an elderly, well-dressed gentleman,
with the long greased-back hair of his generation,
furiously scribbling on paper napkins. I hope the tradition
goes on and it’s a sonnet and not his laundry list.
Gran Café Tortoni may be the epitome of historic cafés
with cultural heritage, and yes, an icon, but it remains just
one of many in Buenos Aires. What appeals is how these
cafés mirror their distinctive barrios or neighbourhoods:
working-class La Boca, arty San Telmo, trendy Palermo
Viejo and establishment Recoleta.
The Gran Café Tortoni is definitely worth a visit to savour
the atmosphere of Buenos Aires. It’s a club to pose and to
be seen, as well as to hide away and be quietly creative.
It’s a place to discuss everything and nothing, to argue
ideas and to plot and intrigue. It’s a stage to indulge
one’s passion, to imbibe the sensuality of the tango and
its music, to embrace untouchingly, and for the soul to
weep. It’s a shrine for some and a curiosity for others.
But if the bused tourists, that loud-shirted (and loud)
Californian and incessant camera flashes explode the
ambiance, you can retreat to those other nearby worthy
institutions, La Puerto Rico or Richmond, for a more
contemporary café experience in gran style. 
ABOVE: Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos
Gardel and Alfonsina Storni
immortalised
RIGHT: Café Tortoni celebrated
its 150th anniversary in 2008
FAR RIGHT: The bust of tango
legend Carlos Gardel by Andres
Sabate Oliver